Is it time to change the British voting system? Critics say it distorts the will of the people and shuts out smaller parties. But UK politicians are yet to be convinced.
Labour surges to biggest poll lead since 2001
Is it time to change the British voting system? Critics say it distorts the will of the people and shuts out smaller parties. But UK politicians are yet to be convinced.
If there is one rule in British politics, it is this: Labour politicians rarely look happy. The party has been around for 122 years but has spent only 33 of them in government.
But as it holds its annual conference, things are looking up. Labour recently soared to a 17-point lead in the opinion polls. The economy is in the gutter. The Conservatives are divided.
And Labour has an exciting new set of policies. It will achieve net zeroWhen the gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by those being taken out of it. carbon emissions by 2030, introduce new mental health support, and bring in a number of new workers' rights. The party is buzzing with energy. This time, it might just win.
However, there is one policy Labour leader Keir Starmer would rather not hear about this conference. On Monday, party members voted to change the country's electoral system from First Past the PostA voting system in which the winner is simply whoever comes first in each area. As such, the winning party almost never has a majority of the vote, and sometimes might even win a smaller share of the vote than its opponent. (FPTP) to proportional representationA voting system in which the winning party gets a proportion of parliamentary seats equal to its proportion of the vote. (PR). Starmer is opposed to the measure.
Backing PR seems like an obvious move for Labour. Right now, the Conservatives have an in-built advantage. They only need five percent more of the vote than Labour to win a majorityMore than half. in the House of CommonsThe democratically elected house of the UK Parliament. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament. , whereas Labour needs a 12-point lead - something they have only ever achieved once, in 1997.1
This is because parties do better under FPTP if their voters are distributed evenly across the country. Most of Labour's support, however, is concentrated in urban areas.
PR would also give smaller parties a greater voice. In the last election, the Liberal Democrats won 11.6% of the vote, yet won only 11 seats - or 1.7% of the total.
The result of these anomaliesThings that go against what is normal or expected. is that voters often feel their vote does not count for very much. Many people feel there is little point in voting.
Under PR, each party would just get the same proportion of seats as they did votes. Each vote would be worth exactly the same. To many, it seems much more democratic.
But there are problems with PR as well. The first is that no one party would ever be able to govern by itself again. They would have to enter into coalitionsDifferent groups or parties working together to lead. with minor parties. There would be no more chance of radically changing society.
And such coalitions are notoriously unstable. The government would change much more frequently.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Is it time to change the British voting system?</strong></h5>
Yes: FPTP allows the country to be governed by the will of a minority of its populace. It favours the Conservatives and silences smaller parties. It is undemocratic and unfair.
No: PR would deliver a series of unstable governments that would collapse before they had the chance to get anything done. There would be no more radical change.
Or... The reason Labour loses under FPTP is that its voters - younger, more educated - have to live in big cities if they want to get jobs. If we rebalanced the economy, there would be more Labour voters outside cities and votes would be fairer.
Net zero - When the gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by those being taken out of it.
First Past the Post - A voting system in which the winner is simply whoever comes first in each area. As such, the winning party almost never has a majority of the vote, and sometimes might even win a smaller share of the vote than its opponent.
Proportional representation - A voting system in which the winning party gets a proportion of parliamentary seats equal to its proportion of the vote.
Majority - More than half.
House of Commons - The democratically elected house of the UK Parliament. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament.
Anomalies - Things that go against what is normal or expected.
Coalitions - Different groups or parties working together to lead.
Labour surges to biggest poll lead since 2001

Glossary
Net zero - When the gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by those being taken out of it.
First Past the Post - A voting system in which the winner is simply whoever comes first in each area. As such, the winning party almost never has a majority of the vote, and sometimes might even win a smaller share of the vote than its opponent.
Proportional representation - A voting system in which the winning party gets a proportion of parliamentary seats equal to its proportion of the vote.
Majority - More than half.
House of Commons - The democratically elected house of the UK Parliament. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament.
Anomalies - Things that go against what is normal or expected.
Coalitions - Different groups or parties working together to lead.